Culture insider: China, birthplace of football

China - the birthplace of football

On July 15, 2004, Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, formally announced to the world that football originated in Zibo, Shandong province, China. But not many know that the sport was originally called "cuju" in ancient China.

Cuju first appeared in the renowned ancient Chinese historical work Zhan Guo Ce ("Strategies of the Warring States") compiled which described cuju as a form of entertainment among the general public.

Later, cuju was commonly played in the army for military training purposes, during the Han Dynasty.

As a way of national culture protection, cuju was listed into the first batch of China's intangible cultural heritages in 2006.

The painting by Huang Shen depicts Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty playing cuju with his brother Zhao Guangyi, the following emperor, and other ministers.